Apparatus for tempering glass



Oct. 13, 194,2.4v s. LONG APPARATUS/FOR TEMPRING GLASS origi-nglnled Dec. 17, 19:55

Patented on. 13,1942

NljTEo s'ln'ra s PATENT 4trici?,

APPARATUS roa'i'nMrnmNG Guss Bernard Long, Paris, France, assigner to The' AmerioanSeouritCompaimWilmingto company of Delaware (Ci. concs 2 Claims.

vThe'present Vapplication is filed as a division of my prior application, Serial No; 54,918,I filed December 17, 1935, Patent No.- 2,244,715, issued June 10, 1941, to cover the apparatus shown therein for carrying the method there described and the product there claimed. `When tempered glass, as usedrfor windows,

`particularly in wind-shields of lautomobiles,

breaks under 'the influence of a shock into a large number of small harmless fragments, its Itransparency is altered at the time that the fragmentation is produced; when the fragments remain at their place within the wind-shield a new accommodation of theleye is necessary for lthe, visibility again `to become satisfactory. 'I'he duration of this accommodation'though .very

short, in vthe meanwhile may perhaps be soilicient, in the case of high'speeds of the vehic1e, to cause a.disturba`nce' in its driving',` resulting in accidents. j

My aforesaid prior application discloses'a tem?4 upered sheet of glass ora tempered plate glass QFor-the purpose stated, the apparatus here' claimed comprises means to heat uniformly the tocool it'mo'restrongly in the encompassing breaking or if breaking, breaking up into larger pieces.

sheet of glass over its entire surface and then or encircling zones.

`Referring to the accompanying drawing in which corresponding parts 'are represented by corresponding marks of reference,

., Figures 1 and 2 represent,` as examples, two views of the fragmentation of a, glass sheet which it is the purpose-of this invention to produce:

Figure. 31s a kvertical section of an arrange` ment for cooling by blowing localized upon the encompassing zones;

Figure 411s a front view of this arrangements In Figures 1 and 2, the encompassing or surrounding zones a,of fine fragmentation are inwhich presents, when it is broken, zones in which there are very` numerous and small fragments i and other zonesin which the pieces have larger 'dimensions and `polygonal or rounded forms, each of the second-mentioned zones being entirely surrounded or framed by the first-mentioned zones so that .the size of the larger pieces pro- "duced in case of breakage of the sheet is at maximum of the size given to said second-men- -toned zones; by virtue of thepresence of the pieces 'of larger dimensions the visibility remains sufiicient at the time of the break. By

adopting sufficiently reduced dimensions for each of the said second-mentioned zones andgiving to Vtheir periphery a proper shape the pieces coming from thesezones in case of breakage are not dangerous while keeping suiiicient visibility.

The 4encompassing or encircling zones with fine fragmentation haveforl example a size of lo tov` mm., the encompassed zones, more or less rounded and formed by a single piece Vorby a small number of pieces, having a diameter of from 50 to 70 mm,

My aforesaid prior application furthermore discloses 4a process for the fabrication of the above described product which consists in sub- Je'cting the two times of4 zones to-diiferent thermal conditions in a manner to produce a stronger temper in the encompassing or surrounding zones, which assures'in a case of breakage a fine fragmentation thereof, the encompassingror d'icated by hatching, while the encompassed or surrounded zones b wherefthe fragmentation is l nil, or greatly reduced, are not hatched.

The product above described may be obtained by the mechanism shown in Figures 3 and 4 by,

after a. sheet "c" of glass had been uniformly heated,` cooling it more stronglyv in the encircling zones. For this purpose, the tempering apparatus comprises two networks of blowing tubes l disposed on the opposite sides of the sheet and pierced by holes 2 through whichV a cooling iiuid t is projected upon the zones of fine fragmentation which are to lbe produced in the sheet;

The blowing4 holes have a small diameter, for

example 2 to 3 mm. and are very close to each w The distance between the outlet of the other.

y Jets and the surface of the glassmust be slight.

without nevertheless being such that Ythe jets produce impressions in the glass; 2 to 3 cm. have beenfound suilicient in practice.

In order to shield uieperuons or the glass' Aof the surrounded zones froma too sudden cooling, the screens t are disposed in each of the `spacca between the meshes ofthe blowing network. The distancefiom these screens to the sheet of glass is adiustabie, independently of the distance from the blowing holes to the sheet. by means of the rodst which support the screens and which slide in the guides 6. By this adjustment either" all contact of blowing air with thevsurrounding zones may be excluded in an absolute manner or a portion thereof may be permitted to act in said zones, in the form of eddies.

l A d Thus the degree of tempering! desired to be imsurrounding zones being tempered less and not parted to the surrounded zones can be adjusted exactly. The two networks of. tubes I rest through the intermediary of the inlet casings 'l upon the movable plates i upon which are fixed likewise the fram 9 carrying the screens 4.

By means of the cranks Il, the whole assemblyof tubes and screens can be shifted aside simultaneously in order to introduce the sheet of glass and thereafter brought close to the glassv for the exact distance which is suitable for the blowing. l

The air which has struck the sheetI deviates ltherefrom in escaping freely into the atmosfaces adapted to between, a plurality of orifices on each o! said faces outlining substantially congruent mesh networks, means for conducting a cooling medium to said oriilces for discharge therethrough against the opposite surfaces of the sheet Ato form tempered zones thereupon surrounding zones tempered to a less degree than the first mentioned zones, screens located in the openings in the mesh networks for shielding the surrounded zones against the effects of the cooling medium which is discharged through said oridees, and means for adjusting the spacing of also may be modied individually'so that their action can berendered different, for example between the edgesand the center of this sheet. Having thus described my invention what I n claim as Vnew and desire to secure by United States Lewers Patent is: 1. In an apparatus for the manufacture" of tempered glass sheets, a frame having opposed4 said screens from the sheet of glass.

2. In `an apparatus for the manufacture of tempered glass sheets, a frame having opposed faces adapted to receive a sheet of glass therebetween, a plurality of orices on each of said faces outlining substantially congruent mesh networks, screens in the openings of the mesh networks for shielding the surrounded zones against the, eifects of the cooling medium which is discharged through said oriiices and means for conducting a cooling medium to said ori- A fices for discharge therethrough against the op posite surfaces of the sheet to form tempered zones thereupon surrounding zones tempered to a lesser degree than said iirst mentioned zones.

. BERNARD LONG.

receive a sheet of glass there- 

